


Cracked Shells are still Warm Homes

by Aelumyne, Iferil



Category: ENHYPEN (Band), I-LAND (Korea TV)
Genre: Aged Down Characters, Aged up characters, Angst, Family Dynamics, Fluff, Geonu-centered, Geonuggets nation rise, Hurt/Comfort, Modern AU, Multi, Orphans, for the sake of, mentions of Seventeen, mentions of THEBOYZ, missing I-Land hours, non-idols, they all live in the same building, unrealistic adoption, we love a soft boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:35:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28068645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aelumyne/pseuds/Aelumyne, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iferil/pseuds/Iferil
Summary: "The more, the merrier", They say.Geonu felt like it was more along the lines of " The more, the louder", but he didn't mind.Gather all the I-Landers in a single building, add a little bit of tragic backstories and fun times,  watch it burn,And enjoy.:D
Relationships: Lee Heeseung/Park Sunghoon, Ngô Ngọc Hưng | Hanbin/Wang Yixiang | Nicholas
Comments: 37
Kudos: 50





	1. Wish upon the stars (9 y/old)

**Author's Note:**

> English is NOT our first language, be mindful please.  
> It was missing I-Land hours and that's how we cope.  
> Don't hesitate to leave kudos and comments (we appreciate constructive criticism), that's the strongest fuel to life.

When Geonu was nine years old, his life suddenly got way brighter.

Over the course of the months, and now years, he had spent with Jungwon in the orphanage, he'd picked up more and more superstitious habits. Looking for four-leaf clovers, being very careful with mirrors, and mostly, wishing upon a star.

Every night, before going to sleep, he would join his hands and ask for something. He didn't exactly know what. Maybe for their parents to come back and pick them up like nothing happened. Maybe for someone, anyone, to get them out of here. Maybe simply for Jungwon to make friends. Definitely for them to stay together. Whenever some adults would visit (which was already a pretty rare occurrence), Geonu and Jungwon would stay close, joined at the hip, clearly indicating there was no separating them.

They were a heavy burden, he was aware. Jungwon was still young, but Geonu was almost ten years old. And there were two of them. They had spent numerous hours in the very small library, or in the garden behind the house, often times with nothing to do but their homework. It was better than wondering why their parents weren't showing up to bring them back home. Geonu himself was starting to forget what it smelled like, sounded like, felt like. Pictures were all he could muster, and he was clinging onto them as hard as he could. 

He had to hold onto it, because Jungwon clearly didn't remember anything. He never asked about home, and when Geonu was old enough to realize his little brother was too young to remember, he couldn't muster up much. He tried to draw it, or to tell him about it, but to no avail. Jungwon would give him a blank look, obviously at a loss. Plus, it made some of the other kids sad, because they hadn't even had a home before.

So he wished. He prayed something would happen.

And it did.

One day, two men came. They talked with Miss Choi for a long time, probably longer than usual. Meanwhile, Miss Kim was making sure all the kids were looking clean and proper. It's not like they weren't usually, but it was always a special occasion. It made him a bit sick to his stomach. Later on, he would realise that the amount of himself he had to offer to those complete strangers was, actually, not good for keeping yourself sane. But children are good at adaptating. 

Geonu didn't really ignore them when they came to the garden to talk with everyone, but he didn't really make an effort to greet them either. The younger kids were curious and eager. Jungwon was flush against his side as he was sitting down on the grass, maybe shielding himself, and Geonu was gripping his book, bangs falling to cover his eyes.

-What are you reading ? »

One of the men had crouched down to their level, and Geonu felt Jungwon trying to make himself smaller, while simultaneously opening his eyes as big as possible to observe the stranger, perched on Geonu's shoulder. He had a soft smile, a bit awkward. He wore a hoodie, and the sleeves covered his hands and fingers as he rested his elbows on his knees. Unusual.

« It's a school textbook » huffed Geonu.

« Is it boring ? »

It wasn't. Geonu kind of really liked that textbook. There were small pieces of stories inside, and he would soon ask to visit the library so he could borrow those which interested him the most. He shook his head.

« Which subject is it ? »

« English. »

He still didn't lift his head. Jungwon started fidgeting, and it was probably one of the most awkward meeting he ever had. Apparently, the guy had no idea how to interact with them. The silence stretched out, and finally, Geonu couldn't take it anymore and lifted his head to meet his gaze.

The man was scratching his cheek and jolted as if Geonu could shoot lasers with his eyes. He let out a nervous laugh, and Geonu felt a little bit lighter. It was nice to see him feeling awkward. He hadn't quite understood why at that time.

« What's you name ? » Geonu asked, and the man's whole face lit up with a smile.

« Heeseung ! Lee Heeseung ! And you, what's your name ? »

« Geonu. »

« I'm Jungwon ! » declared the boy, using Geonu's shoulder to prop himself up and show more of his face. Geonu felt his heart clench a little.

The man laughed again, still awkward. He lifted his hand toward Jungwon, who took it shyly and shook it.

« Nice to meet you, Jungwon. » the kid promptly hid again behind Geonu. His big brother had to contain a small smirk. Jungwon sometimes had some bursts of energy, making him want to interact with people he was curious about. It always seemed really random, but Geonu was starting to think that the kid had really good guts.

They didn't stay for long. It was apparently just a Meet&Greet session, and it was kind of weird that they talked with Miss Choi for so long. After about an hour, all the children were trying to squeeze themselves on the other side of the bushes that borded the entrance, a very good spot to listen to the adults without being seen.

« I swear, I thought my heart would burst everytime ». Geonu recognized the voice of the man that had spoken to them.

« That's because you're nervous as fu... well. » came the other voice, the man cutting himself off. Geonu hadn't really talked to him. He was a bit intimidating, his face just looked too pretty. 

« I didn't want to seem pushy, so I waited for them to ask for my name first, but like, that's so stressful ! I kept thinking ''What if they don't ask ? What if I don't seem interesting enough'' ? »

« You're plenty interesting, don't worry. » answered the pretty man with fondness in his voice.

Geonu suddenly felt like he was intruding. Gently, he shushed the other children away as the two adults turned the corner and left. Miss Choi found them and scolded them again, but at this point it was more out of habit than anything. 

******************************************************

That night, Geonu felt some shuffling on the left side of his bed, and soon Jungwon's head came out of the blanket he sneaked under.

« What is it ? » Geonu smiled, scooting to the right to give room and hug him.

« I can't sleep. Can I stay with you ? » Geonu agreed instantly, fingers carding through the younger's hair. Those visits usually made Jungwon very conflicted, like his heart couldn't settle. He was probably going through the same feelings as Geonu, wanting to stay with him, but also sensing being together was compromising their chance of getting out.

« Do you want to make a wish ? » Geonu suggested suddenly.

« But it's not my birthday ? » Jungwon hesitated.

« You can make a wish whenever you want, it doesn't have to be on your birthday. »

« But... it should only be on birthdays. »

He understood why Jungwon said that. A wish should be special. To work, a wish needed to charge up on energy, on belief, on desperation. But Geonu felt like he a had plenty of desperation to spare. He couldn't quite find the word for it though, so he just nodded.

« We'll make a wish on a special day, then. »

« Okay. »

This night, instead of joining his hands, he made his wish while holding Jungwon's small body.

****************************************************

The men came back. And they came back with gifts. It was usual, and it wasn't. Because other adults would come back with gifts only after the third visit or so, and only for the children they were planning to adopt. It was a way for the others to gauge how much energy they had to spend to make themselves likeable, if it was worth it or not, and Geonu was kinda grateful for the unspoken system, but also kinda jealous.

These adults came back with gifts for everyone. They had nine plushies, the exact number of kids in the orphanage. The children were once again all in the garden, and the smaller ones gathered eagerly around the table, where Miss Choi was helping them get them out of the bags. The two men were smiling gently, and one of the younger girls squealed when she got a horse plushie. 

Jungwon was gripping Geonu's sleeve, so the older got the message, got up and took his hand. Jungwon beamed softly at him, eager to check it out. 

Sadly, there were too many people around the table. Once they got the plushies, the other kids were too busy cradling them and feeling their softness. Geonu was about to ask one of the kid to leave some space for them to see, but just as he opened his mouth, a woolen black cat ended right in front of Jungwon's face. His brother's eyes grew big as he took it slowly, looking up to meet the small smile of one of the men, the very pretty one.

« I'm Sunghoon. » he said. « You're Jungwon and Geonu, right ? Nice to meet you. »

« Nice to meet you. » They barely heard Jungwon, his face buried in the plushie. Geonu patted his head absently, watching Sunghoon.

The man seemed to notice, as he looked him right in the eye and handed him the last plushie. Geonu expected it to be the last one, that nobody wanted. He was used to getting the new stuff, as he was the one who was growing the fastest out of everyone and could hand out clothes he'd outgrowned, but in exchange, when it was about things anybody could use, he got the worst ones.

But this plushie was cute, very cute. It was a hedgehog, all round and soft, and not too big. Geonu liked his plushies to fit in both his hands and not more, so he could fiddle with them as he pleases. But the man didn't know that. He also didn't know that Geonu liked hedgehogs. Or did he ?

Upon the suspicious look he was receiving, the man merely laughed. 

« We asked Miss Choi if plushies would be gifts you'd like, and what were your favorite animals. » Geonu could tell it was meant for everyone, but he felt like the man was speaking only to him.

« What do we say, children ? » asked miss Kim.

« Thank you, Misters ! » a small round of children scrambled to say, and Geonu barely uttered it.

« Now, children, misters Lee are gonna spend the whole afternoon with us. If there is something you want to do with them or that they suggest, she added to the two adults, let me know, I'll do my best to set it up. »

As soon as miss Kim went back inside, a bunch of children huddled together towards them. They both let out nervous laughs, but tried their best to respond to everyone. Jungwon retreated towards Geonu, a bit startled by the animation. 

« It's okay. » Geonu reassured him.

« Can we play together with the plushies ?! »

« Can we play soccer ?! »

« Can we go out ?! »

Some kids were less shy than others and didn't hesitate to give their opinions. After a few minutes, the debate started to get heated, as it usually did when eager kids felt like the only opportunity to have fun was slipping through their fingers. Junhyun and Minjae started screaming at each other like hissing cats, and Heeseung and Sunghoon had obviously no idea what to do. 

« Soccer's better ! »

« But you always go too fast, it's no fun playing with you ! »

Geonu felt a slight panic overtake his mind. _They had to be on their best behaviour_ , it had been drilled enough in his head over three years. And the two boys were clearly overwhelming.

Quickly, he stepped in and grabbed Chan's arm to drag him behind, while putting his hand in front of Seungkwan's face. First, put some distance. If they can't see each other, they can't scream at each other.

« Hey ! Calm down, we must listen to everyone. We'll have the time to do everything, they're here the whole afternoon ! »

It took a bit more time, but eventually they calmed down enough to listen to him.

« But what if we start his activity, and we don't have enough time to do what I want to do ? He does it all the time ! »

This time, Geonu didn't know what to do. It was true, it happened all the time. It was one of the biggest reason of their many fights. 

« Then we can set a timer, or a limit. » interjected the awkward one, Heeseung, who seemed suddenly very calm. « If we have a timer, we'll know when to stop and do the next activity. »

Geonu met his eyes, surprised and relieved. The small smile he received made him want to hide.

Soon enough, everything was set up. Miss Choi helped finding the football net, there were teams, there were rules so the youngers could play, and then there were enthusiastic screams and laughter. It happened so fast. Even Geonu was playing, even the kids who were shyer than him. He was in Sunghoon's team, and Jungwon was glued to his side, but following the ball with his eyes as if he was a cat about to chase a mouse. 

***************************************************

After a long while, a loud bip interrupted the game.

« Time out ! » declared Heeseung. 

« Nooo ! One more goal, please ! » asked one child, a girl bouncing on her legs with suddenly too much energy.

Geonu saw Heeseung visibly falter, but Sunghoon stopped it immediatly. « No, we said one hour, it's one hour. But we can play again next time we come. »

There were pouts, and pleads, but Sunghoon didn't budge, to Geonu's and other's reassurance. 

« I'm tired. » declared Jungwon as if it was a confession.

He wasn't the only one, and they agreed to switch to a less energetic activity. Their energy gauge would be back to full in a few minutes, Geonu knew, but for now he was content sitting in the grass.

They spend the whole afternoon with all the kids, talking one-on-one with some of them, indulging in their ideas. Geonu could tell they were growing tired, but they were still smiling. He was sitting against the house wall, fiddling with his hedgehog plushie, watching Jungwon trying to match the moves of one girl who was trying to show him how to do a wave with his arms. They were all dancing, kind of ? One of them had just needed to execute some weird moves to express his frustration at loosing the previous game, and everyone had tried to imitate him and then came up with their own moves.

He zoned out again, focusing on the softness between his fingers, and then Sunghoon sat down next to him with a deep sigh. Geonu wanted to ask him if he was tired, to start a conversation, but he couldn't bring himself to. 

« Soo.. » started Sunghoon, and Geonu wondered if being awkward was just how they were. « You good ? You didn't get up for a whole half an hour now. »

Geonu kind of wanted to ask why he cared, or why he was watching him so closely like this, just to test how far he could go. He didn't, too scared to make a mistake, see the man get up and get out, never coming again, or worse, not coming for him. 

« I'm... good. » Gosh, now he was awkward too. 

The silence settled in his bones, petrifying. Why wasn't he saying anything ? He stealed a quick glance, worried. Usually the adults were asking him a bunch of questions, which class he was in, how he was doing, what were his hobbies, etc. 

Sunghoon was sleeping. Or at least, it looked like he was. Geonu fully turned his head, mouth gaping. His eyes were closed, a peaceful expression on his features, and he was breathing softly. Was he really asleep ? 

Curiosity overtook him and he quickly poked his arm. Immediatly, Sunghoon's eyes fluttered open and he turned his head quickly in his direction.

« Sorry, I zoned out. You wanted to say something ? »

Geonu watched him with fascination. He looked so tranquil. Yes, he wanted to say something, but he didn't know what.

« Hum... » He closed his mouth, and shrugged, eyes stuck to the grass where his plushie was resting. He felt like his questions were too heavy for the moment.

« Is there anything you want to do next time ? » asked Sunghoon after a while. « I've been asking around to the kids if there's other things you all wanted to try, so we can prepare in advance. »

« What did they say ? »

« Well...so far we got soccer, soccer again, amusement park, painting, video games... » he said while holding up fingers.

« I like painting too. » interrupted Geonu, placing a hand on his mouth in embarrassment.

« I kind of figured you would. » Sunghoon smiled, unbothered. « Really ? » « Yeah, that was what Jungwon suggested. »

He wasn't even surprised. Jungwon chose something that still needed a little preparation, like getting paint, but wasn't too much, like going to an amusement park. He was a smart boy, but Geonu felt like he and Jungwon were too smart. He was told he was mature, but he didn't want to be. 

He only smiled slowly. « Painting it will be, then. » decided Sunghoon. This time, when they left, Geonu didn't bother to shush away the other kids. He was curious too, now. And maybe a bit hopeful.

They came back again, several days later, with a bag full of tube of paint and a very big piece of paper.

« What if you painted a big picture all together and hung it on the wall ? » suggested Heeseung. It was true that the wall was supposed to be for photos, but the old camera broke years ago, and it hadn't been replaced.

All the children were really enthusiastics. The sun was shining even brighter than the last time they visited, and as soon as Miss Kim allowed it, they brought the big table out, taking chairs to stand on for the smallest kids. The gigantic paper was laid out on the table for everyone to draw on, paint and brushes and water on the side.

« There's all the colors... » Jungwon marveled, eyes full of wonder. Geonu nodded, also impressed. The paint tubes weren't big, but there were so many of them. 

« Which one do you want to use ? » Sunghoon asked. « All of them » Jungwon claimed decisively. Sunghoon laughed. « Alright, I'll prepare a painting palette for you. »

Geonu watched Sunghoon take a paper plate, carve a small hole on the side, and gather every colors Jungwon pointed to him. As soon as Jungwon was satisfied, he did the same for all the children who were eagerly asking for it.

« And you, which color do you want ? » Geonu turned towards Heeseung, who was smiling softly at him. It seems like the awkwardness was just a temporary thing. 

« I don't know yet. » Heeseung nodded and turned toward another child. Geonu helped the youngest girl hop onto the chair, and hovered around, worried she would fall. When he was sure she was stable, he came back to Jungwon.

While everyone was blabbering about their ideas, his little brother was quietly drawing, brows furrowed. He was diligently drawing dots and curves, and carefully mixing colors. 

« What is it ? » Geonu murmured. « I don't know yet. » Jungwon answered, hesitating.

Struck with an idea, Geonu went to the side of the table where the supplies laid, and took a brush along with a black tube of paint. He took a moment to note where Jungwon's drawing started and ended, then proceeded to draw a few curves to incorporate everything. 

« It could be a butterfly's wing. Butterflies are colorful. » he said to Jungwon, who looked at him curiously. His brother's face brightened as he nodded, and went on with his drawing.

Next to him, there was a small empty space, and now that Geonu had taken a brush, the tip of it was drawn to the paper. He began drawing mindlessly. At first it looked like a tree, and then he managed to make it look like a chicken, and then it became a boat with people on it. 

He didn't even notice the table getting quieter and quieter, everyone deeply focusing on their own piece of art.

« Is anyone getting hungry ? » Heeseung asked suddenly after a while.

Immediately, several voices agreed to the feeling, and Geonu felt his own stomach starts to grumble. 

« Do you usually have snacks at this hour ? » Sunghoon asked, looking directly at Geonu. « Yes. » He answered timidly.

Heeseung went back inside to ask Miss Choi or Miss Kim, and soon enough, everyone was washing their hands and cleaning up, and a few children, including Jungwon, decided to finish their drawing, even though they were told they could finish it another time. They ate snacks while everyone asked them questions, and they also came up with a few questions of their own about everyone.

Once again, they had spent the whole afternoon with the two adults, and it went great. Geonu was warming up to them. He was scared of the feeling, but he was also embracing it. He'd had enough time before to stop telling himself he didn't really want what the other kids who left got. He'd had enough time to open himself to the idea of not coming back to his parents, but to a whole new home. And they were really nice. Maybe it was unfair that they were inevitably giving false hope to a lot of them, but to Geonu, it was a nice change of pace not to be ignored.


	2. Wish Upon a Star (9 y/old) Part.2

They came back again. And again. Every other day, until it was almost the middle of august, and every child was acquainted with them. For a while, it was like a very long Christmas in the middle of summer.

Geonu wasn't shy anymore around them. He learned Sunghoon was a former athlete, and that Heeseung was actually still very awkward, but in a nice way. He was just very careful not to overstep any boundaries. He learned that Heeseung was twenty-six years old, and that Sunghoon could go from staring blankly into space to fake-screaming to scare some children in the span of a few seconds. There was almost no transition. 

They talked to Geonu a lot. At least, that's what it felt like. He didn't know if it was because he was the oldest here, or for another reason, but he liked it. They were genuinely curious about him, but they didn't push. Also, Jungwon warmed up to them all on his own, and that was a pretty big feat already. He especially liked Heeseung, if the way he was sometimes clutching his pants to ask something was anything to go by. He usually only did that with Geonu. 

They did a few more activities, but sometimes they would just stay with the children and chill, sitting on the grass, or the floor of the living room if it was rainy outside. Once, they came pretty late, and offered to read stories before leaving. After a round of showers, every child had asked Geonu to choose the best one, and he took his task very seriously. By the end of it, almost all of them were asleep, hugging their plushies, wrapped in blankets, or leaning on either of them. Jungwon was curled up under Geonu's arm, the both of them on the couch. 

« He's very cute like that. » Heeseung told him out of the blue, patting a boy who had his head on his lap. Geonu nodded, his hold tightening on his brother. 

« I think we should get them to their beds. » Sunghoon interjected. Carefully, he peeled himself off two children and got up to find Miss Choi.

« I don't want to go to sleep. » Geonu confessed in the comfortable silence.

« Why's that ? » Heeseung asked, voice soft.  
Geonu hesitated a bit, unsure. Should he admit why ? Heeseung's eyes were clear and earnest, patiently waiting for his answer. It felt good, but it was also a bit too much for him. Still, he decided to go for it.

« I don't want it to end. » he breathed. Heeseung barely hummed. Sunghoon and Miss Choi were back before he had time to say anything. Starting from here, it was a careful mission of getting everyone to their beds without waking them up. Geonu waited a bit, watching them, unwilling to risk waking Jungwon. 

« I'm glad you're not asleep » Miss Choi stated as she was gathering the blankets. « You would have been too heavy to carry. » 

Geonu felt a pang in his chest, but he didn't really know why.

When finally it was only him and his brother left, he righted himself, helping Heeseung wrap his arm around the boy and hold him. He yawned wide, and little tears of exhaustion gathered at the corner of his eyes. He rubbed forcefully, and when he opened his eyes again, Sunghoon was crouching in front of him, presenting his back. Geonu felt his jaw go slack with surprise.

« Hop on. » Sunghoon said, shaking his shoulder once.

Geonu scrambled to obey, wrapping his arms and legs around the man's shoulder and middle. Strong arms supported his thighs, and he felt like he couldn't breathe. It was physically a bit hard, with how he was pressed against his back, but it wasn't only that. He only remembered his parents giving him piggyback rides before. Suddenly, as Sunghoon was carrying him up the stairs, Jungwon nestled in Heeseung's arms, he felt like crying. He sniffled gently, wave of memories tasting bitter on his tongue. 

He was pretty sure Sunghoon noticed him rubbing his forehead on his nape, and his reluctance to let go, but he didn't say anything. He was brought to the room he shared with Jungwon, and crawled into his own bed when Sunghoon kneeled next to it.

Miss Choi was watching, and it was keeping him in check, but he didn't have to ask for it. A soft « Goodnight, Geonu. Goodnight, Jungwon. » filled the room with warmth. He closed his eyes, listening to them leaving, but it didn't feel as dreadful as the other times.

*********************************************************

« Children ! Gather in the living room, please ! »

Geonu lifted his head at Miss Kim's call. Almost instantly, all children obeyed, coming into the room.

« Where is Sewon ? He's the only one missing. » 

« In the bathroom. » Geonu answered.

Once everyone was there, she clapped her hands once and started explaining : 

« So ! You know that soon it will be the monthly excursion, right ? Usually we just go to the forest or the park. This time, Misters Lee made a suggestion, and agreed to help. They will be coming with us... to the aquarium ! »

Loud cheers erupted, and Geonu felt his own joy leap out of his mouth in his own delighted shout. It didn't matter where it was, it was new and that was what mattered. Jungwon was bouncing on his toes, whooping excitedly. 

« Calm down, please ! » Miss Kim asked as everyone flooded her with questions. « It will all come in due time, don't worry. »

It took a good hour for everyone to stop giggling and bouncing around, but even then, the only thing they talked about was the aquarium.

« Is there dolphins ? Is there sharks ? »

« I like jellyfishes ! Will there be jellyfish? »

« Geonu, do you think we can swim with them ? »

« Gah, no, are you crazy ! They would eat you, dumb-dumb ! »

Geonu tried to answer with everything he knew, but even then, it wasn't much. He didn't know a lot about aquariums, and had never really been interested in the sea animals. He supposed now was as good as any other time to start learning. 

He checked in the small library, trying to reach the top shelves where a lot of books about Nature and other things a bit boring to them were neatly packed. He asked Miss Choi and Miss Kim, when they had the time. Even then, he didn't learn much more. Information was hidden away from him, and he wanted to know. He couldn't wait for the day of the excursion.

The night before, he had a hard time going to sleep. And according to the noise he heard from the other rooms, he wasn't the only one. They were all looking forward to it.

« Can I sleep with you ? » Jungwon suddenly asked.

Geonu turned to him and nodded. The light of the corridor filtering from the door was enough to see. He heard Jungwon get out of his covers and tip-toe to his bed. He quickly found himself with an armful of the boy, who immediately cuddled. It was a common occurrence, but it still felt important each time the younger wanted to sleep with him.

« Tomorrow is a special day. » Jungwon stated out of the blue. Geonu waited for him to go on. « Is it special enough to make a wish ? »

Geonu's breath hitched. He had kind of forgotten about wishes. Instead of empty wishes, at night, his head was becoming full of memories. It was a good feeling, but he couldn't forget. Maybe it wouldn't be them.

« What kind of wish do you want to make ? »

Jungwon thought deeply for a few seconds. « I don't know. I like Heeseung-ssi and Sunghoon-ssi. » he said softly.

Geonu could almost hear the frown in his brother's voice. He was analyzing, tearing apart his own feelings to try and put a word on it.

« I want to keep seeing them. » he added in an even smaller voice.

« Me too. » Geonu admitted, holding the boy closer. « I think it's okay to make a wish about that. »

« Okay. »

Jungwon probably closed his eyes, and soon enough, they were both sleeping.

**************************************************

In the morning, the sun shone bright above their head, as each child was gathered in front of the entrance, chattering idly and waiting for Miss Choi to bring the car. They all had neon yellow caps on their head, to protect themselves from the sun, and mostly to make sure no one was getting lost. 

« They're coming with their own car. » Miss Kim announced as she was making sure nobody was missing anything, like socks, or the emergency card with the numbers to call, or water bottles. « That's why we're only taking one car. »

« I want to come in their car ! » a child exclaimed immediately. 

Miss Kim heaved a sigh, as if it was exactly what she was expecting and dreading. Everyone started to ask for the same thing.

« What it this commotion ? » 

All heads turned to Heeseung, Sunghoon by his side, as they arrived. Heeseung was wearing a cap, white t-shirt underneath a black and yellow flannel. Sunghoon was wearing black pants, a white shirt and a cream colored cardigan. Geonu was surprised to notice glasses on his nose.

« We parked a little further down, that street is narrow. » Heeseung explained to Miss Kim as a lot of children excitedly waved at them. « Hello everyone ! »

« Hello, Misters Lee. We are just about ready to depart. Children, you need to remember that not everyone will be able to ride with them. You can decide who goes first by playing rock-paper-scissors. »

Of course, they were sad, but there was nothing they could actually do about it, and it was better to focus on getting a seat. Religiously, all the children gathered in a circle, asking Geonu to take the lead. He breathed deeply, wanting to go with all his might.

« Rock, paper, scissors ! »

A few rounds were enough, and Geonu breathed a deep sigh of relief when he noticed that he could ride with Heeseung and Sunghoon, along with Jungwon. He would have hated for them to get separated. There were three seats, and he sat in the middle, being the less carsick out of the three, Jungwon clutching his right sleeve.

« Everybody's ready ? Here we go ! » cheered Heeseung as Sunghoon started the car.

The trip to the aquarium wasn't that long, but maybe it was because he was too busy watching the road unfold in front of him. Of course he had already been in a car before, but it all felt so new. Jungwon's hand was now intertwined in his, and Geonu focused on Heeseung's smiling profile, listening to him intensely as he went on about what they could find there.

They arrived a little bit earlier than the others, who all grumbled that they wanted to ride with the two adults. But they soon all got quiet, in favor of staring at the big blue building that was welcoming them.

« Let's go inside. » Miss Choi hushed them.

It was amazing. Inside, it was also really blue, and everything had a distinct smell to it. Geonu scrunched up his nose but couldn't find what it was. Jungwon was still holding his hands, and watching around, timidly trying to touch everything in his reach. They got tickets that they all had to put in the backpacks as to not lose them, and then they only had to follow the adults.

They were lead across a dark corridor, and then they reached a big room full of animals. There were a few people already, gathered in front of the glass windows. All the children let out tiny noises of wonder, and Geonu heard Sunghoon laugh fondly.

« Impressive, right ? » Heeseung claimed. 

Geonu nodded fast, fascinated. The visit started, and suddenly it was a lot harder to keep everyone together. There were sea lions, big creatures who looked very soft but were very agile, playing together, and Jungwon cooed at them. There were sharks that made them squeal with both fear and excitement. There were jellyfish too, lazily swimming across the water. Reading every little notes written on the placards, Geonu learned some of them could be deadly, and shivered. 

It felt like stepping into another world, especially when they reached the tunnel, the creatures swimming next to and above them. Jungwon kept tugging on his hand, trying to go faster, but Geonu just wanted to suck up all the knowledge he could.

They reached a room of what looked like bushes, but in water. There were water banks barely at eye-level for Geonu. _Corals_ , he read. The name sounded foreign.

« I can't see. » Jungwon whined.

« Up you go then. »

Jungwon squealed as Heeseung held him up in his arms, seemingly coming out of nowhere.

« Are those animals ? » the boy asked immediately.

« Yes, they are. They're a bit like jellyfishes, but they can't move. »

Geonu stared at the corals, waiting for any movement. 

« They have pretty colors. » Jungwon sighed. « They do. » Heeseung agreed.

Geonu had no idea how long they spent here, but he didn't want to get out. He thought he could spend hours watching those serene animals move around in the glowing water. His heart was racing, but it was so peaceful. There was almost no sound aside from a few chatters. Carefully, Geonu touched the glass containing those big creatures. What if it was to break ? 

« I don't think you should do that. » Heeseung warned him. « It was written at the entrance. »

« I'm sorry. » Geonu promptly removed his hands. He felt his cheeks heat up, embarrassed.

« It's okay. » Heeseung chuckled.

« Are there any penguins ? » Jungwon asked, still in the adult's arms, a handful of his shirt in his hand.

« I don't think so... »

« There aren't. »

Sunghoon had just arrived, right behind them, and Geonu startled, automatically grabbing Heeseung's pants in fear.

« You scared me ! » he protested weakly.

« Sorry. »

« So there's no penguins ? »

« There was before. » Sunghoon explained. « But not anymore. » « Why ? » Geonu asked.

Heeseung and Sunghoon exchanged a heavy glance, and Geonu wondered what it was that made them look so close and then so far all of sudden.

« Well...let's say they grew old. »

Geonu frowned, intrigued, but didn't push. He looked around, and notice none of the children were around.

« Did you come to get us ? » He asked Sunghoon. « Do we have to go now ? »

« Not yet. » Sunghoon smiled. « But I did come to talk to you both. »

Suddenly, the atmosphere got heavier, and Geonu sucked in a breathe. There was something in the way Sunghoon looked at him that gave him hope. He clung onto it, cradling it against his heart to help him calm down. 

« Do you want to sit down ? » Sunghoon suggested.

« That's a good idea, my arms are getting tired. » Heesung answered.

They found a small bench, illuminated in blue light. Geonu almost tripped, his steps feeling as sluggish as his mind. Heeseung sat Jungwon down and sat next to him. Geonu sat next to his brother, and then Sunghoon came on his other side. He felt surrounded, but in a good way. As if no matter which way he was to fall, someone would catch him.

 _It's dumb_ , he tried hard to think. It was dumb. It was probably not what he was desperately wishing for. It was probably something bad even. Maybe they had done something wrong, and miss Choi just sent Sunghoon to scold them, knowing it would be twice as effective. But the soft smiles that graced their faces were telling him otherwise, and it was very hard not to hope.

« We, uh, wanted to talk to you... » Heeseung was awkward again. It was fun to watch, but right now Geonu wanted them to just get on with it.

« We've thought a lot about it. » Sunghoon chimed in. « We wanted to take our time to get to know everyone, to not make any rash decision. »

Heeseung nodded fervently, and Geonu's neck was starting to hurt, whipping around to stare at them each time they moved.

« But we wanted you to be the first ones to know. » Heeseung went on. « It felt important. »

« I think you already know what we're gonna ask, but... »

Geonu felt his heart swell with nerves, about to explode with how hard he was hoping. A loud sniffle completely burst their bubble, and Geonu hurriedly turned towards Jungwon, who had red eyes full of tears already. 

« Jungwon ! »

He panicked and hovered around him and used his sleeve to dry the younger's tears as he started to hiccup. 

« Jungwon, does it hurt somewhere ? What is it ?! » he asked, frantic, as his brother held onto him with a tight grip.

Around them, the two adults weren't any better.

« Oh my god Sunghoon what do we do ?! He... he...Jungwon are you okay ?! »

« I... I don't know, Heeseung...but calm down first, you're scaring them. »

Geonu felt his own breathing get thrown into disarray. What was it ? What was happening to him ? He didn't know what was the proper course of action, so he did the first thing he could think of ; he tugged Jungwon into a tight hug, cradling him and patting his back, lending him his shoulder to cry into and burying his face close to his ears.

« Aww, Jungwon... » Heeseung sighed, and his voice was full of something.

Heeseung adjusted himself and wrapped his arms around both of them, and Geonu felt safe. A hand fell on his hair, and another on his brother's, and he felt even safer. His heart swelled again, and he wanted to cry too.

Jungwon's cries slowed down pretty quickly after that, save for the occasional sniffle.

« Are you okay ? » Sunghoon asked once he calmed down enough to get off Geonu. 

The boy nodded. Geonu heard the two men take a deep breath, and he did the same.

« Okay, so... » Sunghoon started. « It's probably weird saying it now, but... »

« Okay. » Heeseung interrupted. « Would you two liked for us to adopt you ? »

The world stopped. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't see, he could only grip Jungwon and try to stay anchored in reality. Finally. _Finally_. They were... they were going to get out of here, they were going to get another chance at family. They were going to get back what they lost what felt like a whole life ago.

He took a deep breathe again, realizing he had just plain stopped giving oxygen to his brain.

« Geonu ? Jungwon ? »

« I...yes. Yes, I want that. » he answered fast, fearing the chance would slip through his fingers if he didn't take it _now_.

In his arms, Jungwon nodded, slow at first, then more firmly, and then he just couldn't stop nodding, trying to convey how much he agreed. The two adults laughed, relieved, and Geonu felt a big smile stretch his mouth. They were going to be happy again. He was certain of it.

When Geonu was nine years old, his life suddenly got way brighter.


	3. Late Mornings and Loud Friends (20 y/old)

« Could you go and wake Geonu up, please ? »

Jungwon peered at his dad from behind his bowl : Sunghoon was watching the clock on the left wall, and indeed, his brother was already late. 

« Yeah of course. » he nodded and got up, making a beeline for Geonu's room.

He opened the door without a sound, and sure enough, there were no lights and no sign of life. He let a grin spread across his mouth and his fingers hovered above the light switch.

« Hyuung... It's wake up time ! »

No answer. He hesitated, but decided to go for it and whispered very softly :

« I'm giving you one warning. »

His brother didn't budge, and he waited a grand total of ten seconds before repeatedly switching the lights on and off. The reaction was almost immediate :

« Oh my god ! You're going to destroy the light bulb ! »

« Good morning to you too. » he said as he dodged a plushie attack.

« Yeah, good morning too. I guess I'm late ? »

« It's 8:10 or something. » Jungwon answered, still grinning. « I start at 10 today. » He added before his brother could ask.

He made sure Geonu was actually getting up and left the room when he started dressing himself. A few minutes later, Geonu was lazily joining them in the kitchen. 

« Good morning » Sunghoon greeted as he set a plate of eggs and toast in front of him, along with a cup of coffee.

« I love you, thanks. » He dramatically sighed as he dived immediately for the coffee. « Good morning. »

« Don't think this is going to become a habit. » their dad warned. Geonu nodded obediently and started eating.

Soon enough, he was busy tying his shoelaces, and gasped when something soft got launched at the back of his head. 

« You're supposed to hurry down the stairs with a toast in your mouth and trip on an handsome guy, not laze around like a dying snail. » Jungwon teased.

Geonu grabbed his old hedgehog plushie that had fallen to the ground and twisted his upper body to throw it back at the boy.

« The next bus is in half an hour, I got time ! » he protested with a smile. « And how did you get that ? Put it back in my room. »

« You're the one who threw it at me first ! » Jungwon retorted.

Geonu shrugged and left the flat, throwing a « see you later ! » over his shoulder. But instead of hurrying down the stairs like Jungwon was hoping for, he crossed the small hall and knocked twice on the door, coming in without waiting for an answer. 

He was greeted by Jay, standing in the middle of the living room, a hand in his pocket and the other holding onto a steaming mug, looking at him with disbelief.

« Aren't you supposed to be at school already ? »

« Yeah, I'm late, gotta go. But first, can I borrow your printer ? I got an essay to deliver and I forgot to pass by yesterday. »

« Yeah, go for it. » Jay agreed and ruffled his hair as he passed by. « You're lucky, I'm leaving for work in five minutes. »

« So you're late too ? » Geonu asked casually while turning on the machine.

« Not really, just cut on some parts of the morning routine. »

« Is that why you're wearing a cap ? » Geonu teased as he plugged in his USB driver, earning a knock on the shoulder.

« Watch it, brat. » Jay warned, but he was smiling into his mug.

He made quick work of printing what he needed and gathered back his things, ready to go. 

« Ah, wait a sec. » Jay asked, shuffling through the papers on his desk. « Found it. Can you deliver this to Sunoo ? That's schoolwork he missed, I think. »

« Yeah, of course. See you ! »

« The groupchat is on fire, by the way ! »

He slammed the door closed just as Jay answered, barely registering what he was saying, and finally went down the stairs. He stopped at the first floor and crouched down to slide the papers under one of the two doors, hoping nobody would step on them. Just as he got up, a loud « BAM ! » reverberated through the hall, coming from inside, immediately followed by a painful grunt, as if someone had done a belly-flop.

Startled and worried, he knocked on the door.

« Everything okay in there ?! » he asked loud enough to be heard.

« Oh, hey Geonu ! Yeah, don't worry, I'm fine ! » a voice reached him through the door.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he greeted Sunoo quickly and went on his way. The bus arrived a few minutes later, and he quickly got inside, flopping down on a free seat. The perks of being late. He unlocked his phone, and turned on the WiFi. Immediately, he got flooded with notifications. _Oh. Right._

_Jaeboy : Guys, I think Geonu's late. He's not at the door._

_Aussi boy : Really ? That's a bit unusual._

_Sungchul : Did you send a message to Jungwon._

_Jaeboy : I did, he's not answering either. Maybe he doesn't have class. Anyway, I don't have enough time to come in to wake him up, and it's gonna be worse if both of us are late, so... farewell._

_Aussie boy : I can't believe you're leaving him behind like that :') That's high level betrayal._

_Jijimin : OMG I swear to god-_

_Aussi boy : wait that means..._

_Sungchul : Here we go._

_Aussie boy : Geonu nooooo ! I trusted you ! It was your turn and you said you would do it ! How could you ?!_

_Jijimin : Yeah, how could you ?! We can't be professional about it if we don't have regular data !_

_Jaeboy : Why would you want to be professional about it._

_Jijimin : Because._

_Sungchul : I know some of you are in class, pay attention._

_Aussie boy : But he missed the timing ! And you're in class too !_

He chuckled, half in amusement and half in fear. He was gonna get a real life earful later on if he didn't apologize. Better to do it now while he was behind a screen.

_Geonugget : I'm sorry guys. Hard to fall asleep yesterday._

_Jijimin : YOU_

_Geonugget : Me._

_Geonugget : I'm sorry._

_Jijimin : If he did pass by the block this morning I'm strangling you._

_Geonugget : How would you know tho ?_

_Jijimin : Don't test me young man. I can fling you into the sun._

_Geonugget : Jungwon can protect me._

_Aussi boy : He's got a point._

_Jijimin : sdoijpajdkjb whatever I'm out. You better do your job this evening._

_Geonugget : yessir_

_Dan'yell : CAN YOU PLEASE JUST SHUT THE FLUNK UP I'M TRYING TO SLEEP_

_Geonugget : turn off your notifications then._

He let out a sigh of relief. He was safe for now. He turned off the WiFi and watched the city pass before his eyes, stifling a yawn. Two minutes later, he reached his stop and got off. The morning was chilly, and he shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. He walked quickly across the university campus, passing by other students and finally reaching his department. It was a shame it was so far from the bus stop, especially when he was late. 

Finally in front of his class's door, he hesitated, and then put an ear against the wood, listening carefully. His teacher's voice was a bit muffled. He made out a few words, and lucky for him, he probably had enough seconds to sit down quietly.

He opened the door as silently as possible, and only the closest students turned their head. He quickly scanned the room, spotting Jaebom on one end of a row, a free seat next to him. He made his way to his friend swiftly, praying Jaebom wouldn't get scared and gasp loudly or something.

He got lucky. Jaebom only startled a bit when he sat down, and he quickly took out his stuff out of his bag.

« What did I miss ? » he whispered as quietly as possible.

« Only a few... » « Mister Lee ! » 

He startled and righted himself to look straight at Mr. Jeonghan (as he insisted everyone called him), who was watching him with a raised eyebrow.

« Did you think because I couldn't hear you I wouldn't see you ? »

Geonu opened his mouth to answer, but got cut off.

« I am ALL KNOWING. » Mr. Jeonghan stated, widening his eyes and speaking solemnly.

Geonu felt like his confusion was pretty noticeable on his face. Jaebom was desperately trying to conceal his snickers. At least one of them was having fun. But as soon as he started, Mr. Jeonghan went back to the paper in his hands and muttered :

« At least do something funny next time, and come in singing Beyonce like a dying whale, as your classmate Kevin did once. _That_ was entertaining. »

He waited a few seconds as all students held their breathe or laughter.

« And I'm bored... Moving on. »

Geonu turned to the aforementioned Kevin as the teacher resumed his lesson, raising an eyebrow. He really did that ? Kevin ducked his head to stare at this desk, clearly embarrassed.

-It was, hhh... during Mr Seungkwan's lesson. » his friend explained.

Next to him, Jaebom was clutching his pen, his hand firmly clasped against his mouth and his eyes closed. Geonu turned his head toward the board, biting the inside of his cheeks to prevent himself from laughing along.

« He didn't even let me say sorry. » he whined, unable to resist adding fuel to the fire.

« Hmpf.. ! »

Jaebom rested his forehead on the table to hide his face, and Geonu chuckled lightly. It took them a moment to calm down, and another to focus back on the lesson. He probably would have to leave a whole page blank.

*********************

The cafeteria was buzzing with noise and bustling with people, and finding a free table was proving to be as difficult as usual.

« Where are they ?! » Jaebom grumbled, holding his tray close.

« Close to the windows, apparently. » Geonu answered, checking his phone.

They finally spotted big movements from the corner of their eyes, Jake and Jimin waving at them, Sungchul's back facing them. They rushed to them before anyone decided to be an asshole and take the seat they had obviously kept free.

« So, did you get an earful ? » Sungchul asked as they were sitting down.

« Not really, he was being weird again. » Geonu answered, digging in.

« That guy is always weird. » stated Jimin. 

« You don't have any class with him. » Jaebom argued. 

« No, but I hear you talk about him all the time. »

« Hey guys ! »

All heads turned to the cheerful newcomer. Daniel greeted them with a smile and sat down with his tray, oblivious to the confusion that showed on their expression.

« Why are you here ? I though you didn't have classes this morning. » Sungchul asked between two mouthfuls.

« Jay is at work. »

« But you know how to cook ? » Sungchul stated, sounding more like a question.

« Why bother when there's a perfectly fine hot meal waiting for me here ? ». Daniel shrugged. « Besides, I don't like eating alone. » he admitted sheepishly, scratching his cheeks.

A chorus of soft awww's erupted. The youngest one really knew how to make them melt. Jake, the closest, shamelessly ruffled his hair, earning a cry of protest.

« You're so cute ! » he stated as several others nodded in agreement. « But, please, I beg you, stop sitting next to me. I feel tiny. »

Daniel smirked, and it was supposed to look evil, but really he just looked cute. 

« So, anything new today ? » he asked while taking a bite, and Geonu already had his mouth full, so he didn't get the time to shut him up.

Immediately, Jimin entered dramatic mode and sighed deeply.

« Well, because _a certain someone_ couldn't do his job... »

« For the third time... » Geonu swallowed rapidly. « I'm sorry. »

« Let it go. » Sungchul advised while patting Jimin's arm across the table. « It's not like you haven't missed a few times too. »

Jimin scoffed but finally started eating.

« What is it called again ? » Jaebom asked. « Operation TNST ? Totally Not Stalking the Teacher ? »

« No, we dropped that one. » Geonu corrected. « It's not technically stalking, you know, since he's the one moving and we're not following him. »

« I mean, it will happen at some point, if we keep this up. » Jake interjected. « We're creepy. »

« It's ''Mister Seungkwan's Secret Identity''. » Jimin answered.

« Sounds less fun. » Jaebom booed.

« What isn't fun about a secret identity ? And just come up with another one if you don't like it. »

They kept talking light-heartedly and eating, Geonu snatching a few bites when the others allowed him. About one hour later, Geonu was the first to get up :

-I have a paper to give to one of my teachers before the end of the break, I'm off. »

They waved at him as he navigated out of the cafeteria. Just as he reached the hallway, his phone vibrated in his pocket, signaling a message.

_Heeseung Dad : Just wanted to say Hello and I love you._

He felt his heart clench a little as he clutched his phone, smiling widely. His dad's surprise affection attacks always got to him. His heart swelled with an emotion he had long learned to associate with love and comfort. He grinned as he typed a reply :

_Me : Does that mean you just woke up ?_

_Heeseung Dad : I may or may not~..._

Simultaneously, he received a message from Jungwon which made him chuckle.

_Jungwon : Actually, he just found his phone._

_Me : Aren't you supposed to be at school ?_

This time, the message came from his dad :

_Heeseung Dad : He got home earlier because his teacher had a meeting._

« Why is he the one answering !? » he exclaimed. He burst into laughter right in the middle of the hallway, but he couldn't bother to care about the few heads turning to him though. He strode across the hallway, his steps as light as his mind. He put the phone back into his pocket and headed to his teacher's class with a smile, where he was sure to find him.

****************

The ride home was quiet, which he appreciated once in a while. Climbing the stairs up to the third floor was now easy enough, even if he was always a little out of breathe when he rushed.

« Welcome back ! » Heeseung greeted him as he opened the door, washing dishes.

Geonu smiled and dived in for a quick hug.

« I'm home. Where are they ? »

« Sunghoon is still at work, and Jungwon's working in his room. Lots of homework today ? » Heeseung asked, flinging an arm around his shoulders but not touching him with his wet hands.

He shook his head and went to his room, gathering all he needed to do his homework and taking it to the the living room. When you entered the flat, it was three rooms on the right side, the bathroom across from you, and the open kitchen and living room on the left, with windows that allowed you to watch people in the street. He opened the window, still feeling the slight chill of the day, and nestled himself on the ledge.

Younger, he had been scared of heights, of dropping pencils and papers and losing them to the wind. Now, he had a few strategies for countering that and quite enjoyed it. One knee propped on the ledge and one foot tapping on the floor of the flat, he started working, keeping an eye on the street below him. 

Some weeks ago, they'd noticed that one of their teachers crossed their path often, and they caught him wandering in their neighborhood several times. Jimin and Jake, mainly, made it their life mission to figure out what he was doing here. One day a week, each of them had to sit by their window before and after class, to check if he passed by their block.

They had yet to actually follow him to spy on him, but like Jake said, it was only a matter of time before it happened.

« Still on patrol duty ? » Jungwon asked.

Geonu turned toward his brother, who smiled and sat down next to him, back to the wall, leaning his head against his brother's thigh. He hummed to answer and Jungwon chuckled.

« You know it's probably something very dumb, like, he actually lives somewhere close ? » he asked as he started playing on his phone.

« That's the thing : it only started a few weeks ago. We never saw him around before. »

« Mhm. »

Jungwon soon got bored and stopped playing, simply resting his eyes. Geonu had finished that one paper, but he ignored the next assignment in favor of playing with his brother's hair. The lazy atmosphere of the late afternoon was getting to him.

« By the way. » Jungwon added, nearly startling his brother. « We're eating at Kei's tonight. »

« Ah really ? I should really finish that last paper then. »

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for readings guys, you all amazing  
> Shout out to the incredible, show stopping, nice Inky for being the best beta on earth!! :D


	4. Step by Step, Your World is Growing (10 y/old)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey guys!! :D  
> So we're back....  
> (and we know it's been a while)  
> We kind of got side-tracked while writing the actual chapters  
> (if you stan P1Harmony and is in dire need of a fanfic that is NOT a One-shot on Ao3, you may know why in some time *wink wink*)  
> But Geonu's and Jungwon's birthdays got us back on the project and I can say with confidence that there will be another chapter next week and the week after :)  
> Happy belated birthday Geonu!! :D  
> Happy belated birthday Jungwon!! :D  
> Also once again and as always, a huge thank you to Inky, the incredible and wonderful Beta that keeps us from writing BS.  
> Let's get to it!

When Geonu was ten years old, he tried his hand at being a detective.

****

He was peacefully nestled into his bed, his blanket wrapped around him so it would completely engulf him in warmth. His hedgehog plushie was loosely pressed against his chest. He was carefully listening to his own breathing, counting in his head how long he could go on before having to confront the freshness of his room to get some oxygen back.

He didn't get to, because the door to his room opened with a soft creak. A few seconds later, a small hand, smaller than his own, was wiggling inside his cocoon to lift a portion of it, revealing Jungwon's face.

“Sunghoon Dad said that you should wake up, but he's busy with breakfast.”

He didn't really want to get up though. The temperature was perfect, not too cold nor too hot, and he was in that blissful state of half sleep where you can feel every fiber of rest that settled in your bones and muscles over the night.

“Come here.” he suggested instead.

Jungwon didn't hesitate before slipping inside and curling on his brother's arms. Geonu shifted to lift a bit of the blanket and allow them to breath. Listening to their own breathing, it was very easy to slip back into sleep.

Sleeping hadn't been that easy before. The first nights in the apartment had been difficult; they'd had to get used to sleeping in separate rooms, learn where everything was stored, stop stressing over their every move. The first month of settling had been hard. Sunghoon and Heeseung had their own habits and way of life. But they did their absolute best in finding what worked best for the children, between having a sense of familiarity and experiencing new things.

After the first sleepless nights, they'd soon learned that sleep was absolutely awesome. They had plenty of comfortable items, blankets, pillows, and they were almost completely stress-free. During the winter holidays, they got up very late, napped for a long time, and went to bed a bit early. 

It had been about five months now. They spent Christmas, New Year's Eve, and their own birthdays here, all on very short notice, so Heeseung and Sunghoon kept it small and chill. Geonu was grateful for that. He still felt a little overwhelmed as it was.

The door creaked again, unbeknownst to the two kids.

“Oh my... they're so cute.”

Heeseung stepped inside, snickering upon the sight. Two bundles of dark hair were picking out from the blanket, unmoving. Carefully, he stepped closer and put a hand on two bumps that he thought were shoulders.

“Geonu... Jungwon... Wake up, wake up, it's already morning.” _(Irona, Wake up, Wake up, atchimidechana)_

It took a good half an hour to wake them up completely. Heeseung was ushering them out of the room like little chicks, and Geonu rubbed his eyes vigorously when the light of the day hit his eyes. On the kitchen's table, there were hot chocolate, toasts, jams, and eggs. The weekend's breakfast that Sunghoon had the time to prepare.

But Sunghoon wasn't greeting them when they sat down. Instead, he was talking on the phone with someone, back to them, and Geonu straightened himself on his seat, feeling the now familiar tingle of curiosity.

“What ?! You're not serious, are you ?”

“...”

The voice of the person he was talking to wasn't loud enough for him to understand, no matter how hard he listened.

“No, really, this isn't even a holiday anymore here.”

“...”

“I think you'd just overwhelm them. Listen, it's not that I don't want you to... I said it's not like that. But they literally just got here.”

“...”

“No, five months isn't long for those cases.”

He turned back and startled when he saw that they were here. With a quick bow and a smile, he excused himself and went away, his voice getting muffled by the second.

Geonu's eyes followed him, and when he turned back to his breakfast, he saw that Jungwon was doing the same. Their eyes met, and Jungwon shrugged. Heeseung came back from whatever he was doing, and Geonu focused back on eating.

For about two weeks now, a bit before Geonu's and Jungwon's birthdays, that person had been calling Sunghoon regularly, sometimes talking for hours on end. And there was always something about Geonu and Jungwon. He was pretty sure that person wanted to come here, or something similar, and Sunghoon was opposed to it because he was worried about Geonu and Jungwon. 

It was a bit intimidating, the absence of explanation, the glimpses of conversations, knowing it was about them but no more than that, and in his child's imagination, Geonu came up with numerous ways of explaining why that person was not allowed to see them.

Maybe he was a secret agent, and meeting his family was dangerous ? Geonu had guessed he was family to Sunghoon, but he had yet to discover what bond they shared exactly. Maybe he was someone bad, someone Sunghoon didn't want to interact with. But it didn't hold up, because from the few glimpses he caught, Sunghoon sometimes smiled while talking to him, and it never got really heated when they were arguing. Plus, he saw Heeseung pass by once and ask how the man on the phone was doing, and from the few weeks he had already spent with them, Geonu was absolutely sure Heeseung was the nicest man ever, and he wouldn't let anyone bother his husband.

Done with his breakfast, dishes in the dishwasher and table clean, he went back to his room and took a notebook from his desk, hidden under other textbooks. It was one that he received for his birthday a few days ago. He sat down and opened to the latest page he had scribbled on:

_'' Mysterious Man :  
-He's a man  
-He's ~~Sunghoon's~~ Dad's brother (?)  
-He lives abroad''_

He had guessed that one when Sunghoon mentioned a city the man was supposedly at. He didn't write the name, because he wasn't sure about the spelling. 

“He has holidays” he wrote neatly. Which mean that maybe he was in a school? Wait, Adults had holiday too, right? But they chose when.

He startled when he heard Sunghoon's voice, still on the phone, go up a notch.

“Okay! we'll talk about this later.”

“...”

“Don't try to bribe me with Gaeul. I'm hanging up.”

A new piece of information ! Eagerly, Geonu wrote down : _''-He knows Gaeul''_. He remembered that Gaeul was a dog Sunghoon mentioned several times, that lived now with his family somewhere else. That meant that this man lived somewhere close to Sunghoon's hometown, if not in the same house. Supposedly.

Sunghoon hung up, and Geonu made quick work of hiding the notebook back in it's place. He was curious about that man, and he was pretty sure that if he asked sincerely, his questions would be answered, but he was still worried. What if it was a sensitive topic ? Neither Sunghoon nor Heeseung ever talked to him or Jungwon about those phone calls. 

Plus, it was thrilling to come up with his own theories.

****

Once, the phone rang, and Sunghoon wasn't here. The phone was proudly resting on the table while his dad was in the bathroom, and Geonu watched the screen with rapt attention, reciting the numbers over and over in his head. 

“The phone rang,” He informed Sunghoon once he came back.

Without even noticing him, it was now stored in a corner of his head, which quickly became a corner of his notebook.

****

Several days later, while they were all eating in the living room, another phone call came. _It's always around eating time_ , Geonu noted in his head.

« Yes ? » Answered Sunghoon.

He got up to have some space and Geonu heard him pace in the living room, Jungwon twisting his body to look behind him and listen intently. He didn't really need to pay much attention though, because Sunghoon wasn't trying to be silent.

“You really think they'll let you do that ?”

He sounded like they had already had this conversation numerous times, and he was tired of it. In a way where he would soon to give up. Geonu watched with rapt attention.

“...”

“You're still both the last one and the youngest. I don't think it will be that easy.”

“...”

Geonu looked up to Heeseung, whose fork was hanging mid-air between his plate and his mouth, all ears and looking intently at the man, mirroring Jungwon's expression.

“What is happening ?” Jungwon whispered to Heeseung. “What does he want ?”

Geonu held his breath. 

Jungwon had just asked the question he had refrained himself from asking. It was as if he used a cheat code. But contrary to his expectations, Heeseung didn't avert it nor got angry. He merely smiled, a smile they were still not very used to, that held a lot of mischief.

“I think you'll learn soon enough.”

Jungwon made a face, visibly as frustrated as Geonu. He didn't get the time to prod, because they all heard Sunghoon heave a deep and loud sigh.

“Yeah, okay, okay. I get it, stop whining. I get it. You can come.”

“...”

“No, don't bother, we'll prepare everything.”

He risked a glance towards Geonu and Jungwon, and his expression was hard to describe.

“I am asking the kids before anything else, though. If they don't want you here, then it's a no, understood ?”

“… !”

“Yeah, yeah, me too. Goodbye, go sleep or something, you brat. I bet it's like midnight or something to you.”

Midnight? Why would it be midnight? Geonu frowned, but the answer wasn't long to come back to him. The time difference! It was night for half of the Earth, and day for the other. That meant that the man lived super far! Maybe at the exact opposite of the world! The idea would have made his head spin if he wasn't sitting down.

Sunghoon turned sharply towards them, and came back to sit down. He smiled as the two kids followed his every moves.

“Okay, I think you heard about everything that just happened, so I'll get straight to the point. Somebody is asking to come and meet you two. And I want to ask if you're okay with that.”

“Who is he?” Geonu asked.

“My younger brother. What do you think? He would visit and stay here for... maybe a week? We'll take care of the details later.”

The two kids exchanged a glance, and it almost felt like Geonu could hear Jungwon in his head. His expression was clear as day.

“He can come.”

Sunghoon breathed a sigh of relief and Heeseung lifted a hand to hold his shoulder. Geonu followed the movement with his eyes. He was still getting used to their occasional displays of affection. And also being on the receiving end of it. 

“What is he like?” The dam of questions had just been broken. “How old is he? Why did it seem like you didn't want him to come?”

“It's not that I didn't want him to come.” Sunghoon defended himself immediately. “It's just that he can be... a bit much. I don't want to overwhelm you.”

Jungwon and Geonu hummed at the same time, surprising the two adults. 

“Well...” Heeseung interjected. “Now we've got a lot of things to do.”

That sentence rang like a bell, signaling a whole week of even more weirdness.

****

They agreed for him to stay a week, starting from Friday next week.

Tuesday, they all went to buy groceries, and the cart had unusual purchases in it. There was way more ingredients and spices, for example. Heeseung sighed the whole time, crumpling his grocery list with frustration. Geonu and Jungwon took a look at it and marveled at the details of it. That was not the usual grocery list. It was probably one that the Guest asked them to get. His fingers itched to write it down.

“Should I also take that?” Heeseung asked for the umpteenth time. Jungwon was already holding what he pointed out, ready to put it in the cart, but put it back with a huff when Sunghoon shook his head

“It's my brother. Not the Queen of England.”

Geonu barely heard what Heeseung grumbled. “With the way he behaves sometimes, could've fooled me.”

“Why is there so many things on the list?” Geonu asked. “Did he ask for all of it?”

“Well... He's a bit much, like Sunghoon said. But he's a good guy.”

****

Wednesday, they cleaned the flat thoroughly. It wasn't that it was dirty per se, but Sunghoon said their house still had “standards”. Geonu was wiping the very thin layer of dust on the shelves, and Jungwon was cleaning the top of the windows, perched on Heeseung's shoulders, while Sunghoon was vacuuming the floor. 

“I don't think he will mind if there's still some dust on that welcome mat, Sunghoon. We've never managed to make it look clean anyway” Heeseung called after several minutes where the man had disappeared in the corridor, Jungwon gripping his hair.

“Go big or go home.” Geonu heard Sunghoon mutter spitefully.

Jungwon and Geonu snorted gleefully. It was quite rare to see this side of him, but Geonu thought that, just like his younger brother, he was a bit much too. 

****

Friday, they prepared the sofa so it could easily switch to a bed. The curtains weren't the thickest, so Geonu noted later in his notebook that maybe, _he was a deep sleeper_.

His list was getting longer and longer, but the more he went on, the less he thought he had an idea about the guy. He was almost tempted to ask what he looked like. But he didn't want to ask for his name. It felt like it was making it too real yet. For now, he was still a ghostly figure that was gradually invading the space he was still trying to make his own. 

“I kind of don't want him to come anymore.” Jungwon spoke up.

Geonu turned towards his brother, who was assembling his Legos in a specific form with a frown on his face, sitting on the bed.

“Why?”

Jungwon wiped his head toward him, suddenly looking fearful, like he was afraid he had misstepped. 

“You... you don't...?” the youngest hesitated, searching his words. Geonu understood.

“I feel the same.” he reassured him. “I still want to meet him, but I didn't know it was such a big thing.”

Jungwon nodded, relaxing his shoulders and his entire posture.

“It's like the orphanage.”

A little thorn stuck itself inside Geonu's heart. It wasn't moving, it was just there, but it felt uncomfortable. He didn't want to think like that.

****

On Saturday, the day of the man's arrival, time slowed down drastically. The air itself was fidgety, but maybe that's just how Geonu felt. Heeseung was just as difficult to wake up, and Sunghoon was just as much of a morning person. Sunghoon went for a jog, as he did often. Heeseung managed to knock some things over but not more that usual.

It was just Jungwon and Geonu, unable to stay still, bouncing on the bed, watching out the window, playing but not playing, trying to read the same sentence of a book several times. At one point, they just laid on the ground of the living room, star-shaped and staring at the ceiling.

They were playing the game that required the least brain-work. Jungwon said a word, and Geonu told him the first thing that word made him think of, and Jungwon told him the first word that he could think of based on the word Geonu said, and so on. 

“Breakfast.”

“Milk.”

“Cow.”

“Black and White.”

“Green.”

“Why green, obviously it should be pink. Cows are black and white and pink, for their nose.” Jungwon corrected.

“Why didn't you just say pink then? You're not in my head. Green.”

“Mmmh... grass.”

“See? That's what cows eat.”

Jungwon simply huffed.

“Kids?” Heeseung asked.

“The orp...” Geonu slapped a hand on his mouth just in time, and heard Jungwon do the same. Heeseung wasn't playing the game, he was calling for them. They sat down to listen to him.

“I'm going to the airport to get Jay.”

For a second, Geonu wondered who was Jay, and then it hit him. That was _the guest's_ name. That was _the ghost's_ name. That was _Sunghoon's younger brother's_ name. He nodded, mouth dry, watching as Heeseung wrapped a scarf around his neck.

“I should be back in an hour. Can you go and help Sunghoon? He's making lunch.”

They nodded and Jungwon scrambled to catch up to Heeseung before he reached the door, to grip his coat and ask for a hug. Heeseung let out a noise of surprise, but indulged him. 

“I'm not going away you know? You'll be too busy too notice I'm back.”

Jungwon didn't answer and squeezed the man's waist in his arms. Geonu joined them and briefly hugged the man on his other side, then made his way toward the kitchen to let Jungwon have his space. Sunghoon was hunched over a kitchen cupboard, gathering utensils. A cookbook was open on the side on the table, and the delicious smell of simmering beef wafting through the flat got stronger.

“Can you help me get the ingredients? We need onions, garlic, rice wine, sugar, ginger...” Sunghoon asked, his voice too fast to follow.

“Wait, I can just read the recipe.” Geonu cut in, feeling overwhelmed already.

Sunghoon placed other utensils on the table and turned to Geonu, noticing his outstretched hands and his wide eyes.

“Right. You do that.”

Geonu nodded, glad to have avoided the crisis. He carefully read over the page - _Soe Galbijim_ -, and scanned the ingredient list, just as Jungwon came inside and Sunghoon got him to prepare the appetizers. The youngest took this very seriously, selecting the dishes and plates according to his very own strict codes and criteria. Geonu gathered the ingredients he knew how to find, then proceeded to ask where the others were. After about three items that Sunghoon eventually had to get for him, they switched spots, and Geonu was carefully measuring quantities according to the scale. 

“Ah, no carrots.” Sunghoon informed Geonu as he was about to start cutting them. “We can replace it with sweet potato.” He was himself about to cut a big white radish.

They worked together, peeling, cutting potatoes, radish and mushrooms, watching over the meat. Sunghoon was extra careful with the measurements and the timing, and he groaned after spending too much time hunched over the cookbook.

“Why?” Jungwon's question resonated in the air, stilling his hands as he looked at Sunghoon straight in the eyes. “Why are you making so much effort?”

It had obviously been going around his head. That earned him a slow smile from their dad.

“Obviously because as much to handle as he is, I like him a lot. He loves eating good food and I wanna make sure he's comfortable.”

It felt very reassuring. It was words they had already heard about themselves, and hearing them about another person only confirmed that the care Sunghoon and Heeseung offered them was genuine. Geonu felt the little thorn melt as he went back to cut the last sweet potato, and Sunghoon put up the fire by a notch, judging the meat wasn't hot enough.

It was right at this moment that they heard the door open, almost bang, clothes ruffling loudly and a voice exclaiming “ Hello ! ”.

Geonu jumped and almost cut himself. He went as still as a statue, and Sunghoon chuckled when he saw him and Jungwon almost not breathing. They both received a pat on the head before their dad exited the kitchen. With shy steps, they joined him and stood at the entrance, just as the man was throwing his arms around Sunghoon to trap him into a tight hug.

“Damn, I missed you, bro!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> N.B: Geonu's birthday is on February 2nd , if it helps understanding the timeline XD  
> Thank you for reading!


	5. Step by Step, Your World is Growing (10 y/old) Part.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised,  
> Here is a new chapter ;)

_“Damn, I missed you, bro!”_

Sunghoon simply laughed and squeezed the life out of the man. “Me too, Jay, me too.”

“Are those the kids?”

Geonu and Jungwon startled violently as the person got out of Sunghoon's grasp to side step him and walks towards them. Geonu's brain worked full time, gathering as many details as he could: he was way smaller than Sunghoon and Heeseung but still way taller than them, wore a black cap backwards with a biker jacket, one earring on the left ear, a sharp nose. Everything looked sharp in his features, and Geonu wasn't even sure if he was glaring or not. One certain thing was that he was doing the same to Geonu and Jungwon, scanning them carefully. He looked like a delinquent, honestly.

“Wow, you two are small.”

He stumbled forward harshly as Sunghoon smacked the back of his head, Jungwon's hand shooting up to grip Geonu's sleeve.

“Introduce yourself properly, I swear to god.” Sunghoon ordered as Heeseung was laughing loudly in the background.

“Yeah, you're right, sorry. Hello! I'm Park Jongsong, you can call me Jay, seventeen years old, I'm that idiot's younger brother, and I really really wanted to meet you.”

“Hello, I'm Geonu. I'm ten years old...” 

He glanced his fathers way, seeking guidance. Heeseung, still beaming, encouraged him with a hush. 

“Hum... Nice to finally meet you.”

Jay chuckled light-heartedly, held out his hand and turned to Jungwon after Geonu shook it. The youngest let go of Geonu's sleeve to take a small step forward, but he was visibly flustered. At that, Geonu was very surprised to see Jay immediately putting one knee on the ground. He was now smaller than Jungwon, but it didn't seem to bother him. He was still smiling softly, looking at Jungwon with expecting eyes.

Jungwon seemed to gain a little bit of confidence at that.

“I'm Jungwon, I'm seven years old... And you're loud.”

Heeseung burst back into laughter and Geonu quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, but there wasn't anything as loud as Jay's offended gasp.

“What?! Loud?! Well excuse me, I... jeez!”

“You're proving him right.” Sunghoon mocked.

Jungwon had his hands balled into fists and hid again behind Geonu, a wary pout on his face.

“Okay, maybe I'm loud...” Jay admitted, hands up in surrender. “But I assure you I'm trustworthy.”

“And that absolutely sounds trustworthy.” Sunghoon said again.

“Babe, stop. He's digging his own grave.” Heeseung suggested while kissing his husband's cheek.

Jay groaned audibly and stood up. “What-ev-er. I have a whole week to make it right. Wait... what's that smell? You're making Soe Galbijim?”

Geonu was impressed he guessed just by smelling. But Sunghoon paled and darted in the kitchen. “I forgot the meat!”

“Oh my god what?!,” Jay exclaimed in turn, rushing along.

Geonu and Jungwon watched them pass by with wide eyes, a little scared at the noises and exclamations that followed. Heeseung approached them and patted them on the head.

“So, first impression?”

“He's _too_ loud.” Jungwon insisted. “He's weird.” Geonu said.

Heeseung only chuckled. “Go see if they need help, I'm going to take of my coat off and all.”

In the kitchen, Sunghoon was furiously steering the meat to make sure it wasn't glued to the pan, and Jay gathering pot and water.

“Man, you serious? You have to put the dried mushroom in lukewarm water before cutting them!” He scolded as he let the water run until it was an acceptable temperature. “Ah, you two, come here.” He ordered as he spotted the kids. “You see the potato and radish, you have to slice off the angles.”

He demonstrated and offered two knives to them, waving them when they didn't respond immediately. “Come on, we don't have much time if we want to salvage the meal.”

“F... Flunk you. I put my heart into that thing.”

Geonu frowned while cutting the radish. Sunghoon did. Why was that guy dissing it? Jay only smiled. “I know.” He hesitated, then added: “I don't know, I thought we were going to cook together, but the flight got delayed, and I wanted to participate still.”

The genuine sentence seemed so easy to let out, Geonu wondered how he did that. Sunghoon answered by ruffling the top of his head, almost making the cap fall. “Hey, careful!”

After a few more minutes, everything was ready and everybody sitting down. One second of awkwardness barely had the time to squeeze itself into the meal before Jay turned towards Geonu and Jungwon.

“Okay, you probably have questions, right? Ask away!”

Jungwon looked him with wide eyes and kept his mouth tightly shut.

“If you don't want to, then I'm going to be the one asking questions, you know.”

“But that's impolite to force something to do something they don't want to do.” Geonu argued. “What if we don't want to do questions?”

He was getting a little brave there. They had yet to truly disagree about anything with their new dads, and they had yet to settle boundaries on that matter. But Jay steered the attitude out of him, and he was only met with open glances. Jay made a face, like he hadn't thought of that.

“Well... then I'm gonna tell you about myself? But honestly, I really want to get to know you. That's not everyday that my brother and my in-law decide to adopt two kids at the same time. You're family now. I want to get started during the awkward phase, so it's not awkward later on. Does that even make sense?”

“You talk too much.” Jungwon said. It seemed that would be the label Jay would have to carry around for the rest of the week. 

“Well then you say something.” Jay talked back, frowning but not angry.

He lacked the dignity and calm of the two adults. He was almost at their level, despite being almost ten years older than Jungwon. 

“Where do you come from exactly?” Geonu chimed in. 

“Seattle! In the USA. I was born here at least, unlike Sunghoon.”

“Where were you born then?” He asked, turning to his father.

“In Korea. The rest of the family is still back in Seattle, but I came back... let's say it was for carrier purpose.”

A little question mark popped up in Geonu's head. Their fathers were already colorful canvas in his mind, but it was only a few brush strokes. Not enough to truly understand them, like he understood Jungwon. 

“We can tell you later.” Sunghoon promised, and Geonu nodded.

“So, how is it here?” Jay asked. “They're not giving you too much of a hard time? I know Sunghoon can be a bit harsh sometimes.”

“I'm like this only with you.” Sunghoon rolled his eyes. “Because you're a brat.”

“Hush, let them speak.”

Silence fell and Geonu scrambled to answer. He wanted to keep the awkwardness at bay, just like Jay seemed to excel in.

“It's good. I sleep a lot.”

“So you're gonna end up like Heeseung hyung, huh?” Jay teased towards the oldest one, who smiled and let out a fake yawn.

“But Heeseung doesn't go to sleep early,” Geonu went on. “He stays up really late, while I go to sleep at 8:30 pm.”

“Wow, so timely.”

“Sleeping is important.” Jungwon stated. “We only grow up when we're in the slow-wave sleep, so we have to sleep to grow taller.”

“That's right, sleeping is essential.” Heeseung confirmed. “You should let me sleep in next time, Sunghoon.”

Jay chuckled as Sunghoon rolled his eyes fondly. “Yeah, right, and let you get kicked out of your job, good idea.”

The lunch went on, and Geonu learned several things, some were very trivial, other felt crucial. It was mainly small habits between Jay and Sunghoon. They were bickering a lot, to the point where Geonu was worried they would actually yell at each other. There were a lot of references to other people, like Sunghoon's parents, and Jay's parents, and Geonu felt like he should make the difference, but he didn't know if it was because he was still getting used to having so much family or because of the way they phrased it.

There was a different dynamic between Jay and Heeseung. There was less bickering, and more teasing, light-hearted remarks that could all go well with finger guns. Jay was shaping Heeseung's natural awkwardness into smiles. He was good. He brought out the good mood out of them.

And it was only after lunch, when Geonu and Jungwon were allowed a moment to rest in their room, that Geonu noticed that the charm had work on himself. He'd had all the time he needed to notice those dynamics, but he also didn't remember feeling left out at any moment. Jay had asked questions, offered anecdotes, and made him feel comfortable enough.

It was still too much, though. 

It was still a whole person with thoughts and ideas and movements that disrupted the totality of social dynamics and space of their small home, and Geonu was still getting used to the shape of it. He was grateful for the breather, and didn't plan to come out any time soon. He was clutching a pillow, lying across his bed, and Jungwon was doing the same, legs thrown over his brother's belly.

“I don't really like him.” Jungwon said. He was still frowning. “He seems nice, but... he's really too loud.”

It was already the third time, and Geonu was starting to think there was something else behind it. He decided to prod and poke at his brother, ignoring his own mental fatigue. “What do you mean?”

“He's... fast. He speaks too fast, too.”

Well, that didn't help.

“So he talks too loud, and too fast.”

“Yeah, he's too much.” And the force with which Jungwon talked helped Geonu understand that was it. Jay was too much for him to process. Yet.

“It's too much for you.”

Jungwon nodded fiercely, and a hand landed on his own, that Geonu took and squeezed. He heard a heavy breathe, and his heart rate picked up. Was it that much?

“Jungwon, are you okay?”

His younger brother immediately nodded. “Yeah, it's just... it feels good to have words for it. It was bothering me so much!”

Geonu hummed and hugged him, Jungwon melting into his embrace. 

****

The rest of the day passed by slowly. They came back to see Heeseung in the living room, informing them Jay and Sunghoon had gone out for a while. He offered to watch something and they agreed, snuggling into his extended arms on the couch that would soon become a place for another.

Jay and Sunghoon came back not too long after the end of the movie, Jay carrying small packages. He proclaimed himself in charge of dinner, and softly asked Geonu and Jungwon to help him. Jungwon shook his head. Geonu felt like pouting. He had thought of saying yes, but now he didn't know if he really wanted to do it or if he felt obligated to.

He went anyway, following Jay. The man... no, the teenager. It felt weird to think of him like that, he had been so sure he was an adult. Jay didn't follow a cookbook. He left Geonu standing in the middle for a grand total of one minute, gathering ingredients, struggling to find some and asking Geonu for help, before he put him on charge of the vegetables while he was preparing rice. It was quiet, as Jay was focusing more on the steps rather than conversation. It made Geonu feel restless, this change in character when he was barely getting used to it.

“Did you travel all by yourself?” he asked out of the blue.

“I mean, If I didn't there would be someone else with me.” Jay answered him, casting him a glance that didn't last long.

“They let you in the plane even when you're a minor?”

Jay nodded with a smile. “You need some authorizations and permits, along with your passport, but yes. It's actually easy.”

“Weren't you... stressed?”

Jay took his time to measure spices before answering. “The first time, a bit. But I'm used to it now.”

Geonu nodded, satisfied. 

“Do you want to travel abroad? Like, once you're a bit older?”

“I think?” Geonu wavered. He thought for a few seconds before answering with more confidence. “It feels like I already did when I came here.”

Jay hummed, eyes slightly bigger as he took in the information. Geonu could only see his profile, focused on the wok he was working on. A small silence fell, but the more Geonu studied Jay's face instead of cutting the vegetables, the less he could decipher if that was a good thing or not.

“I have a question.” Jay suddenly piped up, and Geonu willed himself not to startle. “Why do you call Heeseung by his name?”

Geonu felt like a bucket of ice got thrown on his head. And it must have showed on his face, because Jay looked at him and immediately corrected himself. “I'm sorry! That's not what I meant or anything! I'm not blaming you or anything!”

For his usually loud voice, he was rather good at being quiet right now. Geonu gulped down the knot in his throat, but another came back full force. Jay sat down next to him and looked him straight in the eyes. Geonu barely had the energy to hold his gaze.

“I'm sorry. I was wondering if you were okay calling him like that, or if you ever plan to call him... I don't know, Dad? I wanted to make sure you were comfortable, but I'm sorry if I was being overbearing. You don't have to tell me anything, okay? You can just tell me to get lost.”

Geonu gasped at the phrasing, unused to the crude way of speaking. He let himself have a few seconds to breathe, listening to Jay.

“You feeling better?” Jay asked after a while. Geonu nodded, and Jay sighed in relief before going back to his cooking. Geonu waited a bit, thinking. Did he want to tell him?

“I'm waiting.” This time, Jay turned slowly to him, his demeanor careful. “I want it to feel right.”

“I see.”

It was the most awkward he had ever ever felt in the presence of the man, but it was also the most sincere they had been. Not on Jay's side, he seemed like a book opening itself; but on Geonu's. 

Once cooking was done, they gathered at the table once again. This time, Geonu didn't really listen. He was feeling drained. It was a more serene atmosphere, they didn't babble as much. Jay still asked a few questions, which Geonu answered easily, even feeling proud when he managed asking something himself. Before his arrival, his head was bursting with questions, but now he was still processing. Jungwon mostly kept quiet. Geonu spotted Heeseung's worried glance, and the uneasiness came back again. 

“Do we have anything scheduled for tomorrow?” Jay asked.

“Well, since it's the first time you're coming in town, I was thinking of a small tour.” Heeseung shrugged. “There are some fun stuff to do. It'll also be helpful for you two.” He added towards Geonu and Jungwon. They nodded.

****

In that weird state between sleep and awareness, Geonu heard the door open with a creak. A few seconds later, Jungwon was shaking his shoulder.

“Geonu.” he whispered. “I'm hungry.”

“Go get breakfast then.” Geonu grumbled.

“I can't.”

At that, Geonu finally sat up, rubbing his eyes to wake up faster. Jungwon was nibbling his lips, hands balled into fists on the blanket, and Geonu remembered who was sleeping in the living room. 

“I'll come with you.” he said while throwing away the blanket.

He didn't miss the grateful look Jungwon sent him. They both got out and tip-toed into the living room, almost holding their breath. It was very early, as there was barely any light. On the couch, under a thick blanket, Jay was sleeping peacefully, on his stomach, hugging a pillow. 

Geonu headed for the kitchen, but noticed that Jungwon wasn't with him and went back. His brother was slowly approaching the couch, eyes fixed on their guest, wide but not fearful. His upper body was petrified, but he still sat down in front of Jay. He let out a soft gasp. Curious, Geonu caught up to him by walking around, and also gasped in surprise.

“His eyes are opened...” Jungwon said, waving a hand in front of his face, without any reaction.

His gaping mouth turned into a timid smile. Suddenly, Jay's pupils went up like he was rolling his eyes without warning, and Jungwon giggled. Geonu was more disturbed than amused.

It seemed like the noise and the growing light combined were enough to wake Jay up, as he began to stir, his eyes fluttering shut. Jungwon kept giggling, like the sound of his own nervous laugh was making it funnier and funnier. Jay woke up to the laugh of a 7-year-old, obviously at his expense, and grumbled:

“Mwhat? What is it?”

“You, uh... you sleep with your eyes opened.” Geonu provided while Jungwon was still laughing, hands on his mouth and trying to step back as to escape Jay's wrath.

“That's what makes you laugh?” Jay frowned, as if still deciding if he was vexed or okay with it. Jungwon only nodded, trying to muffle himself. Jay rubbed his eyes sleepily and huffed. “Well, happy to see you laughing rather than avoiding me, I guess. I'll take that.”

He regretted it shortly after. Jungwon mentioned it to Sunghoon when he got up, his dad confirming having seen it sometime and chuckling. He mentioned it to Heeseung, repeating it several times until he was awake enough to laugh and tease the teenager. When they got dressed to go outside, he giggled again to himself. He even mentioned it to the neighbours they crossed path with at the bottom of the building.

“Will you just let it go already?!” Jay cried, obviously distressed, which made everyone laugh. “I get it, jeez! Why are you so hung up on that?”

Jungwon shrugged, snorting, and kept on walking close to Heeseung. Jay looked ready to throw him under a bus, but Heeseung calmed things down. “It's okay, he'll forget about it anyway.”

“You know what?” Jay said while leaning towards the kid. “I'll find something fun to tease you with too. We'll see who will be the last one to laugh.”

A competitive glint lit up in Jungwon's eyes. “If I win, you have to speak quieter.”

“If I win, you're forbidden from mentioning it ever again.”

“How would you decide who wins?” Geonu asked. “You have to choose what could be more embarrassing than sleeping with your eyes open. And that means you don't have a lot of time to find something. Plus, you live in the living room, and Jungwon can lock the door of his room. You're at a disadvantage here.”

“You too, Geonu?! I thought you were a pal!”

The boy laughed, mischievous. It was fun teasing Jay, as he reacted easily. 

“Whatever, I'll find something.” Jay concluded as he picked up the pace, Sunghoon and Heeseung snickering behind.

They reached the park first. It was a rather big one, with a basketball court, a children playground, a skate park, and even a small patch of trees that would look like a forest if some of the buildings hadn't been so tall... It seemed to be the meeting point of the whole neighbourhood. It was on the opposite side of the path they had to take to go to school, so they had yet to see a lot of it. But Geonu looked at the baseball court with a bit of envy.

“We should bring a ball next time.” Jay suggested. “Do you have any?”

“I fear we don't.” Heeseung dramatically declared. “Maybe the neighbours do?”

“The one across your flat?”

“We're the only ones on that floor.” Sunghoon answered. “Maybe the ones below us. Do you want to try and ask them next time?” He added towards the boys.

“That would be cool, but I think I'm too shy yet.” Geonu replied, making Jay laugh.

They kept on walking, showing the whole neighbourhood to Jay. They passed by the bakery, and Jungwon and Geonu rambled about their greatest apple pie, that they had the chance to taste twice already. They passed by the old convenience store that looked on the verge of collapsing, the abandoned house that had gigantic glass windows on the first floor, the shopping street close to the university and the bus stations. There were places Geonu and Jungwon knew and some they didn't, but it was fun watching Jay soaking up every piece of information.

“That's like, a super nice neighbourhood though.” He said at one point. “It's quiet, but close to every mean of transport. And there's lots of stuff.”

They nodded.


	6. Step by Step, Your Wolrd is Growing (10 y/old) Part.3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaaand here is the 3rd and last part of this "episode" :)  
> Enjoy it cause it's the last one already written for now XD  
> Hope you like it ;)

Geonu kept getting woken up those days. He steered after hearing a voice calling him with an edge of urgency.

“ _Geonu_ , wake up, buddy! I need you to see this, you're my witness.”

Jay's face was hard to distinguish in the lack of light, but his voice was unmistakable. Geonu sat up, quickly rubbed his eyes and got out of bed, as Jay was already out of the room. What required waking him up so fast? He got a hint when he saw Jay was heading towards Jungwon's room, ushering him in quietly. 

Geonu slowly followed, completely woken up and they both sat down next to the sleeping kid, laying on his back.

“Watch.” Jay simply said.

Geonu waited for a few seconds, simply staring at his brother. A whole minute later, he jumped on his spot in surprise as he saw Jungwon's arms pop up and back a few times, before resting back on the blanket.

“What?” He murmured as Jay snickered.

“So? Embarrassment worthy?” Jay asked.

He was quick to remember the challenge Jungwon and Jay had set up, and thought about it for a few seconds.

“I don't know, it's kind of cool he's doing that.” 

“ _Seriously?_ ” Jay cried as softly as possible. “I did my best!”

Geonu chuckled, before they both got out of the room. “You know you could just have taken a video, right?” 

Jay shrugged. “I couldn't do that when we still barely know each other. Would have been too intrusive. I feel better if I just ask you to witness.”

“So it's okay to go into his room when he's sleeping, but not to take a video? Aren't those at the same level?” Geonu retorted.

“Oh gosh, don't get smart with me. A video lasts, you know, it's not the same level of invasion of privacy.”

“So you're aware it was invasion of privacy?”

“He did that first!”

“I'm not sure it counts if you're ten years older, because you're supposed to be smarter or something.”

Jay heaved a deep sigh, and if it wasn't still so dark, Geonu would suspect he was blushing. “Okay, you win. Now shut your mouth so I can wallow in self-embarrassment.”

Geonu smiled and bid him a good end of the night. Once back under the covers, he put a nervous hand on his beating heart, slightly faster than usual. It felt good, it felt natural, even if he had been slightly wary of his reactions. They were getting better at this.

****

Monday came, and with it, school. Sunghoon took them before going to work, but this time, there was a hand waving to them inside of their apartment's window. 

Geonu had made a few new friends, close enough to tell them about the half foreigner that was visiting. It was a big subject during break, almost as much at the snow that was now piling up on the playground, forcing them to spend the break inside. As they went back to class, the teacher spoke up:

“We won't be able to do any P.E. because of the snow.” Some children booed, other clapped. “The Principal is checking the weather, to see if we have to ask your parents to take you home before it gets too much.”

People cheered around Geonu, except for a few of them, including him. If he remembered right, Sunghoon wouldn't be able to come pick them up. But what about Heeseung? His work was more lenient than Sunghoon's, but would he still be able to come? They only had one car.

A few minutes later, during which no one in the class could focus anymore (the teacher gave up and allowed them to play a few games), one of the supervisors came in, announcing they would call their parents. Loud cheers erupted, and a small smile graced his face, feeling his fellow classmates' hype.

One by one, the supervisor called their parents, children waiting to be divided between those who would soon go home, and those whose parents didn't respond.

“Can I go see my little brother?” He asked. “We have the same number.”

“It would disrupt too much if we allowed every siblings to gather.” His teacher answered with an apologetic smile. “But once we know where everyone can go, you can go see him, as long as you tell me.”

Geonu nodded diligently, sitting back down, waiting for his turn. It was getting louder and louder in the class, but he was getting better at handling it. Finally the supervisor called him:

“Lee Geonu.”

“Yes!”

He hopped up and fidgeted next to the woman, who was typing numbers on her phone. He watched her face like a hawk, waiting for any changes in her expression.

“Hello, mister Lee? Are you available right now? … Yes, the snow is getting to much, they won't be able to come home if they don't go now. Can you come pick them up? … Yeah, I see. I will call the other number, don't worry.” She hung up and turned to Geonu. “He can't come because he doesn't have any car at disposal, and his workplace is really far. I will call the other number.”

Geonu nodded, holding his breath.

“Yes, hello. … Ah, you already got called? Yeah, of course, for Jungwon. … I see. In two hours? I will call you back, yes.”

Geonu felt his heart sink just a little, worried. So none of them could come immediately, huh? He thanked the lady after she explained to him that Sunghoon couldn't come yet either, as he was already taking care of the same problem at his workplace, and went back to his desk.

After a few minutes, every parents had been called, and everyone headed for the hall, four-fifths of the class expecting to get picked up within a few minutes. Jungwon was allowed to go over to Geonu, and the two leaned on the wall, waiting for the supervisor to get a call. Within half an hour, the school hall was already half empty, and Jungwon's teacher came to see them. 

“Jungwon, you are the last one of the class, make sure to stay with your brother, okay?” It was logical that parents would be more available to pick up young kids rather than the ones who were Geonu's age. He squeezed his brother's hand as the latter nodded.

The supervisor came again. “I'm going to call back, okay?”

They waited a few minutes, but she came back with a shake of the head. “Your dad is wrapping up and heading there, but he won't be here until another two hours. I couldn't contact the other number.”

They let their head drop down. The supervisor frowned slightly, looking worried. “Do you... know any other number we could call? Maybe?”

At that, Jungwon nudged his brother. “Did you learn Jay's number?”

Geonu was just about to shake his head, he didn't, he hadn't thought of that, but suddenly he remembered he actually learned the number before even meeting him, that time he watched Sunghoon's phone ring. 

“I think I do.” He answered, turning towards the lady. 

She smiled immediately and asked him to tell her. He fumbled for the last two numbers, but managed to remember it all. With bated breathe, the two kids listened to the phone ringing.

“Yes, hello? This is the school? … Yes, would you be able to come pick them up? None of their parents are free at the moment. … Yes? Yes of course. … No, they don't. Half an hour? .. Yes thank you, sir.”

She came back to them. “He said he will be there within 45 minutes.”. 

“Thanks,” They said at the same time, releasing the breath they were holding.

I was true that outside, the scenery was getting whiter and whiter, hiding the horizon behind a thick fog of snow, snowflakes twirling almost aggressively in the air. They waited and waited, watching parents pick up their children, covered in snow, but with a pleased smile on their face. After half an hour, they were barely anyone left. And it was getting cold on the floor of the big hall. Jungwon even sneezed a few times.

Then, with unnecessary force, the door opened, letting inside a portion of the storm, and a man walked in, steps commanding attention, as heavy as they were. He was holding a big backpack, and his coat's hood was hiding his face. But as soon as he removed it with a sharp shake if his head, the kids recognized Jay. He lifted his head and spotted them immediately, waving a hand, ignoring the multiple eyes watching him.

“Geonu! Jungwon! _I'm here_!”

They jumped on their feet and hurried to him as he walked, ignoring everyone else. They had half a mind to hug him. “You walked there?!” Geonu exclaimed.

“I mean, I couldn't just let you rot in here, and Sunghoon and Heeseung would have been late anyway.” His nose and cheeks were red.

“Welcome.” Geonu's teacher walked up to him. “Are you the one taking them home?”

“I'm their uncle!” He declared proudly. “Sit on that bench, you two, I brought your snow boots and everything.”

“How did you know where they're stored?” Jungwon asked.

“Heeseung told me when I called him.” He answered as he put one knee on the ground to rummage through his bag.

They took the boots he handed them and removed their previous shoes, feeling shy as the other children were staring at them. He handed them gloves that they had forgotten and insisted to wrap their scarves around their neck himself, checking they were all ready to go before turning to the teacher.

“I'm getting them home, good day to you!” He then whipped around to wave at the last children. “Stay strong, you all!”

Some of them waved back, eyes wide with surprise and gratefulness. The most Geonu had seen from other parents had been a curt nod, and he felt proud of calling him his uncle.

Once outside, the wind blew right in their face, sending snowflakes to blur their vision. Indeed, a few hours and they wouldn't be able to see anything. Jay took their hand firmly and guided them outside of the school, standing partly in front of them to act as a shield. Geonu couldn't hear almost anything, but he could at least see Jungwon and Jay. 

They walked slowly, hindered by the snow that reached the middle of their calves. Jungwon stumbled once with a shout and Jay yanked his arm up to hold him and help him find his ground again. 

“Okay, hop on.” Jay ordered when he noticed that the snow was reaching up Jungwon's knees. 

“I want to walk!” Jungwon protested.

“Nu-uh, come here, I don't want you to die by being buried alive.”

Jay let go of Geonu's hand and convinced Jungwon to lean on his back, hoisting him up. “Can you grab onto my arm or something?” He asked, and Geonu complied.

Around half-way, the wind stopped blowing so harshly, and the snowflakes became a white curtain instead of powerful force pushing them back. 

“I want to walk.” Jungwon mumbled after a few minutes. 

“Oh really?” Jay mocked, breath short. “Go on, sink into the snow.”

“It's a slope, I think he would rather roll down.”

Jay stopped abruptly and turned to Geonu, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “ _Now_ that would actually be fun. You wanna try sliding?” He asked Jungwon.

The younger was already scrambling to get down. “Yes!”

“Let me check if I have anything valuable in my bag, we'll use that as a sled.” He removed a few things, stuffing them in his pockets, then put the bag on the ground, trying to find the most aerodynamic fit. “I think it's good enough? Sit on it, Jungwon.”

With a gleeful squeal, Jungwon jumped on it. He was perched on a small mound, and Jay went behind him to put his hand on his back. He turned to Geonu and dramatically stated 

“And now, we run.”   
before pushing the kid of the edge.

Geonu felt a flash of lightning course through his veins at Jay's words and rushed forward as Jungwon slid down, but of course Jay was faster and right behind him, making sure the kid wouldn't hurt himself. Actually, Jungwon was going way slower than Geonu would have expected, the snow uneven on their path. Jay pushed him forward a few times, earning a giggle, before stopping him and shooting Geonu a wild smile. “You wanna try too?”

Geonu rushed to sit on the bag, gripping the front. Jay made sure to angle it so he wouldn't actually cross the street, and pushed him forward. He let out a scream, sliding down a few meters before slowing down. Jungwon was already behind him to try and push him, and he helped him by using his feet. He gave up when his legs were too tired, and Jungwon jumped back on. 

Jay pushed him, and he slid down again, but fell on his back along the way, almost slamming his head in the snow-covered ground.

“ABORT MISSION!” Jay proclaimed “Abort mission! Oh my god that was so violent, you okay?”

Jungwon was nervously laughing as Geonu leaned down to check his head. “I think. My head hurts a bit.”

They agreed that no damage was done, but Jay took back his bag, resuming his initial call of holding their hands. The wind was also picking up again, supporting his decision. When they reached their street, it was less hard to stand. The building acted as a screen, blocking out the wind. It was Jay's turn to stumble back, slipping on ice he had made sure Geonu and Jungwon would avoid. He fell down with a yelp and the kids laughed sharply, helping him up.

They finally reached the apartment, where Heeseung was already waiting for them.

“Oh my god, you three look drenched!”

He went straight for their coat, helping them out of it, their fingers frozen stiff even with the gloves. 

“I feel like nothing could ever warm me up.” Jay grumbled, removing his scarf.

Jungwon and Geonu let out loud sneezes, and Heeseung reached for the tissues before handing it to them, once they could step inside. 

“The entrance is going to get soaked.” Jay said as he did his best to put what he could on the heater. 

“Thanks. Coffee alright with you?” Heeseung suggested and nodded as Jay agreed.

Geonu helped make hot chocolate as Jungwon was getting a bigger sweater in his room. After a lot of fussing, all four were sitting down at the kitchen table, sipping chocolate or coffee and warming their fingers. Fifteen minutes later, Sunghoon was joining them, face red and hands stiff.

“I think it's the biggest storm of the winter.” He declared, baffled. “Is everyone okay?”

“We are.” Geonu answered right as Heeseung came over to kiss Sunghoon welcome.

“Everybody's safe!” Jay said, beaming with pride. 

“I hope it will hold up for a few days.” Sunghoon said as he stepped inside. “I gained enough stress for a week.”

Jay, Geonu and Jungwon laughed, and Sunghoon joined them with a cup of coffee. They talked and joked a bit, until Jungwon sneezed loudly again.

“Are you getting sick?” Heeseung asked, putting a hand on his forehead. “How do you feel?”

“Tired.” Jungwon answered, slumping against his father's hand.

Sunghoon did the same to Geonu, and said upon noticing he was just as hot: “We should put them to bed.”

The two children complied, glad to be able to go to bed early. Geonu noticed Jay's guilty frown, as he was tucked in, right before falling asleep.

****

He woke up to Sunghoon's face. “Hello? You slept alright?” He asked softly.

“Mhm.”

“Good. The fever came down, and you don't have any other symptoms. Feeling refreshed?”

“I think so.” he nodded as he sat up.

“You can get out of bed if you want.” Sunghoon offered.

He did just that, following his dad outside. “And Jungwon?”

“He caught a big cold. His fever actually went up and he's sweating a lot, so I think we're going to ask Seon to come down and help.”

Geonu agreed, even though he felt wary. Calling Seon almost always meant it was something not Heeseung nor Sunghoon could handle by themselves, and it wasn't that frightening, but it would have felt better if his brother had only needed to lie down and recover like he did. 

Heeseung went to get their neighbour from above, and soon enough Seon stepped inside, the doctor's bag Geonu felt fascinated by in his hand. 

“Hello! Is everyone okay, aside from our sick kid?” he greeted warmly. 

“We're all good.” Sunghoon replied, responding to his smile. “And I don't think it's anything that serious, but if you could...”

“Of course, that's what I do.”

“We're sorry for calling you on a break day.” Heeseung said as he guided him to Jungwon's room.

Geonu followed them, but Seon stopped him at Jungwon's door, holding out a hand in front of him before putting it on his shoulder, leaning down. “I'm sorry, Geonu, but last time you were fussing around so much it took me another half an hour to get it done. If you want me to treat Jungwon's quickly, could you please wait in the living room?”

Geonu pouted but obeyed, holding down his dismay. 

“You okay?” Jay asked, sitting on the couch. 

Geonu flopped down on the ground instead of answering, sitting in between the older's leg and turning his back to him. He didn't want to show his face. Jay seemed to understand, and settled for hugging him from behind, dropping his chin on the top of his skull. From the corner of his vision, Geonu saw Sunghoon pass by, stop in front of them, and then go on his way in the same time he felt Jay move his head toward the man. 

“So Seon is your neighbour?”

“Yeah, from the upper floor.” Geonu answered.

“Does he have any neighbour?”

“No, he lives on the entire floor.”

“ _The entire floor_.”

“Yeah, he owns part of the building, I think.”

“Okay.” Jay simply said, but Geonu could tell he was surprised. “And he's only a doctor?”

“I guess?” Geonu lifted his head, his neck hurting a bit. Jay got the message and straightened back. “We don't see him often. Mostly when one of us is sick.”

Jay nodded. After a few moments, Seon finally came out, and Geonu jumped to his feet. He went straight for Jungwon's room, only hearing a swift “Sunghoon, please don't let your husband come in next time. He fusses almost as much as his son.”

He was disappointed to notice Jungwon was sleeping, but decided it was for the best if he was resting. He patted him a few times on the head, before retreating to the living room.

“You can give him that before going to sleep, for three days. I'll come back for a check-up, but it's mostly just a big cold. He was probably just really tired lately.” 

“How much do we owe you?” Sunghoon asked.

“I'll check to make sure and tell you later, I don't remember how much that one costs.”

They nodded, and as usual, Seon sat down for a cup of tea, catching up with them. It was a very boring conversation, or one he couldn't fully understand, so Geonu turned back to Jay, who just checked on Jungwon and laid down on he couch, phone in hand. He moved to make space for Geonu when the kid tried to snuggle.

“Relieved?”

“Yes.”

Jay chuckled and focused back on the screen. Geonu watched for a moment, but it was all in english, and he lacked grammar and vocabulary to understand everything. 

Later, Seon thanked them for the coffee and headed for the door, patting Geonu's head. The kid huffed, and went back inside when it felt too cold.

“Could I talk to you a few minutes before you leave?” He heard Jay ask.

****

“So, I was thinking of staying here.” Jay declared the next morning.

Sunghoon almost sputtered his toothpaste. “Excuse me?”

“As in, what if I took the apartment across yours? Nobody lives there. I didn't mean that I would stay here and leech off of you any longer.”

Geonu put down his bowl, listening, and noticed Heeseung was doing the same with his cup.

“No, but... _They_ would never let you do that.” Sunghoon argued slowly. “You'll have to go back.”

“Like they can do that right now.” Jay scoffed. “I'm out of their reach, and it was getting too stuffy without you. _It's nice here_.” He said softly.

“But you're still a minor!”

“Yeah, like that would stop me.”

“I...” Sunghoon tried.

“I don't want to argue with you.” Jay cut him. “I want to know if you would be okay with me staying around, regardless of the circumstances. Then we can argue all you want.”

Geonu held his breath, waiting for Sunghoon's response.

“I... no. No, that wouldn't bother me. Actually, I'd feel better if you were.”

“Good!” Jay claimed, with a hint of relief. “I did my research. There's a school like mine not far from here, and a course I want to take when I'm done with high school. I asked Seon, and he helped me figure out how apartment and renting works. He let me check the apartment across, and it won't need too much work to put it back in shape. I have the big stuff figured out, and I can buy everything I need.”

He finished his rant with a short breath. Geonu craned his neck to catch his father's expression, but he was facing away.

“Have you considered the fact that they may cut your income if you try that?”

“I did. That's the thing I'm the least sure about, actually. But we don't have to tell them the whole story, right? We can say I'm staying for a few weeks, at your house. And then a few months. It will be easier to convince them.”

“No. I don't feel good tricking them like this. Come clean, it'll avoid problems later on.”

“So I can stay?!”

“That's not entirely up to me, you know.”

Geonu startled when he heard fast steps rush to the kitchen. He lifted his head to Jay's wide smile.

“Heeseung, Geonu, what would you think if I stayed here? Not here of course, but like, the apartment across...”

“We heard everything.” Heeseung teased. “What do you think, Geonu?”

Being on the receiving end of such a hopeful expression put pressure on him, but he had already made his mind.

“I'm okay with it.” He nodded, and Jay jumped towards him to give him a big hug, pumping his fist into the air.

“I am too.” Heeseung said. “But you'll have to wait for Jungwon to recover a bit, and ask him later.”

“Yes, of course!” Jay agreed quickly.

****

The next day, Jungwon woke up, feeling groggy but slightly better. They explained the situation, and just like Geonu, it didn't take long before he agreed. They had spent enough time with Jay to learn that he was earnest, funny and caring, no matter how wary they were at the start. Jungwon getting a big hug as well and laughed, protesting that Jay was going to crush his neck. 

****

When Geonu was ten years old, he tried his hand at being a detective, and it earned him a bigger family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it, anyone happy to know how Jay got here?  
> And any Seon simp out there ?  
> See y'all newt time ;)  
> (Once again and as always thank you so much Inky' for being the best beta we could ever ask for)


End file.
